The Nigerian military says soldiers have killed nine members of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram during a shootout in the country's northeast.
Officials say the fighting took place Thursday about 85 kilometers south of Maiduguri, the center of the Boko Haram insurgency, which is blamed for thousands of deaths over the past four years.
An army spokesman says one soldier was also injured in the violence. He says the military confiscated "large arms and ammunition" from the militants.
There has been no independent confirmation of the incident.
Boko Haram has been fighting since 2009 to impose a strict form of Islamic law on Nigeria's Muslim-majority north.
The group continues to launch attacks in the northeast, despite an all-out government military offensive ordered by Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan in May.
Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for attacks on police stations, jails, and government officials, as well as civilian targets like churches and mosques.
Officials say the fighting took place Thursday about 85 kilometers south of Maiduguri, the center of the Boko Haram insurgency, which is blamed for thousands of deaths over the past four years.
An army spokesman says one soldier was also injured in the violence. He says the military confiscated "large arms and ammunition" from the militants.
There has been no independent confirmation of the incident.
Boko Haram has been fighting since 2009 to impose a strict form of Islamic law on Nigeria's Muslim-majority north.
The group continues to launch attacks in the northeast, despite an all-out government military offensive ordered by Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan in May.
Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for attacks on police stations, jails, and government officials, as well as civilian targets like churches and mosques.